Entry Requirements:

Entry will consist of 1 designated buck that was born between December 15, 2018 and March 15, 2019. All breeds and crossbreds are accepted.

To be considered for the Herdsman Award you must have a qualifying buck that was not dewormed.

Producers must provide Birth Date and Weaning Date to verify ages.

Bucks must weigh a minimum of 35 lbs at start date.

Bucks must be weaned 30 days prior to check in, had a minimum of 1 de-worming and a CDT vaccination. It is preferred all test animals be vaccinated for sore mouth 30 days prior to entry but if they haven’t received a vaccination they will be administered at check-in, all animals must have their feet trimmed. No exceptions.

Bucks must be tagged with a scrapie compliant tag from their state of origin. No exceptions.

All out of state bucks must be accompanied by an official inter-state health certificate and in compliance with all Oklahoma shipment requirements. For information: Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry, and (405) 522-6142.

Entry fee of $50 per buck will be required to secure a position within the test. A final fee of $100 per buck will be required at check in. The $150 entry fee will cover feed supplementation, medication, wormer, routine veterinarian services and other test costs.

Producers will be responsible for all vet fees incurred in the case of treatment for serious injury, disease or necropsy (in the case of death).

Producers need the signature of a Veterinarian that the Health Certificate and vaccinations are in compliance (provided on the nomination form).

Test Protocol:

Bucks will be given a thorough examination by a veterinarian at check-in. Goats showing signs of sore mouth, CL, foot rot or other communicable disease will not be allowed to enter the test. It is recommended that animals have current vaccinations.

Bucks will receive a CDT vaccine, fecal egg count, FAMACHA score and an ear tag with test ID at the time of check-in. Goats scoring less than 2000 EPG will be comingled as a group. Goats scoring greater than 2000 will be comingled until the reduction test indicates they can enter the test and join the low EPG group during the warm-up period.

Bucks will be dewormed with three different classes of wormer (Fenbendazole, Levamisole, Moxidectin) at the time of check-in. A second Fecal Egg Count will be conducted 10-14 days after check-in.

Bucks with an initial FEC > 2000 that do not show a 90% reduction in there egg count after the initial deworming will not be allowed to enter the test.

Bucks that display symptoms of disease or illness during the test will be held in quarantine (on forage) until it is determined by the Test Manager or the Test Veterinarian that they may re-enter the general population or must leave the test.

Low performing bucks may need to be removed from the test. This decision will be made by the Test Manager in consultation with the producer.

Every effort will be made to accommodate the producer if a buck must leave the test.

In the case of death, a full necropsy will be performed by the On-Site Veterinarian at the request and expense of the owner.

Sufficient forage will be provided for the bucks to perform up to their genetic potential. A feed supplement containing protein, vitamins, minerals and other additive ingredients will be provided as needed to maximize the utilization of forage.

Bucks that score a 4 or 5 on the FAMACHA scale and a confirmed high FEC (anything >2000) during the test will be de-wormed and devalued from herdsman contention.

Dewormer product(s) of choice will be determined by the Test Veterinarian, however, if resistant animals fail to respond to a second deworming they will be assigned to a copper bolus treatment.

All decisions made by the Test Manager, Test Veterinarian and staff will be final.

Weights, FAMACHA Scores and Fecal Egg Counts will be taken approximately every 17 days with the results posted within a reasonable time frame on each year's Test Results page.

Every attempt will be made to Ultra sound for Loin eye area and measure Scrotal Circumference by EOSC and test staff.

Results:

Buck ranking within the test will be classified by Average Daily Gain and Fecal Egg Count.

To compete for Grand Champion Herdsman, each producer must qualify an individual without a de-worming. This award will be determined by the top bucks for each producer in highest Average Daily Gain and lowest Fecal Egg Count.

Educational Information

A summary sheet containing all data collected for the bucks will be supplied to each producer. A test summary with forage, weather and other important information will also be distributed.

A Field Day will be held at the test site to view the bucks, tour the forage test and discuss performance on forage for the meat goat industry.